Final Quarter 2 Post

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a great book. I didn't have enough time to finish it over the course of the quarter, however, what with the holidays and basketball and finals. So, I'll tell about what I read. Joe is exhausted and worn out from working on the comics. He is doing the bulk of the work for Empire Comics because of crappy writers (i.e., Jules and his brother and his brother's friends). Joe loves the satisfaction of finishing a comic book, but it has lasted less and less lately, due to his increasingly shrinking hope in getting his family out of Nazi Prague. Every week, he makes an appointment with Herr Milde, and every week, he tells Joe that there is very little possibility that he will get his family exit visas. The week that Joe goes after finishing his latest issue, he arrives at the consulate only to find that his father died. He meets with Sam afterwards, and tells him of his shocking resolution. Joe plans to enlist in the Canadian Royal Air Force. But, halfway there, he decides to turn back and keep trying to win his family free passage into America without stepping into battle. That night, however, Joe found Sam, went to a bar, and got stinking drunk. Like, majorly, totally, uncontrollably drunk. He was crying about how his mother had to live without him and his father, how his brother had to be the man of the family, and how he was without them in their time of need. When they leave the bar, Joe accidentally spits on a man's shoe, and doesn't immediately apologize, and got in a fight with a heavyweight boxer. Big mistake. It certainly made a good story though. It was interesting to see such a pitiful side of Joe in these chapters. He really is made out to be pathetic and hopeless. It's sad.

Quarter 2 Post 10

I've finally had more time to read more of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Joe and Sammy finally finished their first full book with the help of their friends (and their friends). They bring the pages to Sheldon Anapol, Sammy's employer, and Sheldon likes what he sees. He calls down George Deasey, a serious aficionado when it comes to literature, who thinks they are really good pages. However, both bosses have one major problem. On the cover of the comic book, Joe drew The Escapist punching Hitler so hard he broke his jaw! The cover is amazing, but the two think it will be too inflammatory, so they tell Joe to make another one. Sam vehemently refuses, and he has Joe come with him as they walk towards the elevator. Joe can't believe what is happening, but Sam is confident as he pushes the down button. And, just when the elevator arrives, the chapter ends, leaving quite a cliffhanger. I love the negotiation scene, because it shows a vulnerable side to Sam. Sam is described as being nauseous, and like he is about to cry, and like he can't breathe. I appreciated seeing a different side to the usually confident (and sometimes cocky) Samuel Klayman. 

Quarter 2 Post 9

For Christmas, I got two really good books. One was The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. The other was 100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of fairy tales, but they're for wizard children. There's also commentary by Albus Dumbledore. He talks about the social impact of these stories on wizarding children. My favorite is called The Fountain of Fair Fortune. It is about three witches who get selected to walk to a magic fountain, but a knight gets dragged along with them. They climb to the top and the first witch is cured of her incurable illness, the second is cured of her poverty, and the third is cured of all her sorrows, so they let the knight bathe in the fountain. The knight falls in love with the third witch, and they live happily ever after. I personally, however, find the commentaries more interesting, because Dumbledore is talking very frankly and humorously about the stories. 100 Things You're Not Supposed to Know is a book about mostly government conspiracies, but there are also some very interesting other stories. One I found especially humorous was the ability to mail letters for free. You see, you simply put your address on the "send to" address and the person's address on the "return to" address, and you don't add postage. So, the letter gets "returned to the sender", which is really the addressee! But it's illegal, so...

Quarter 2 Post 8

Well, I think I'd like to talk about what I think about the book for a change. I thought the beginning was a little weird, what with it being about Clay when he's older. This kinda sets up the book to be one great big flashback, but there are a lot in the book, not just the one big one. I like the format regardless. I think the plot is interesting, especially with the racial undertones. Joe is forced to escape from his country under shady circumstances, only because he is jewish. Sam has never experienced such prejudice, but he still empathizes with Joe. I also appreciate the humor in this book. It's often subtle, but you can tell it's there. For example, when Sam, Joe, and Jules see Jules' older brother's girlfriend naked (one of many, which is another area where humor is implemented), Jules bets Joe that he can't draw her. Joe does, and Jules buys it for a few bucks. However, upon looking at the drawing, Jules realizes that there are no "exposures". When he calls Joe on it, Joe simply replies "Not for 3 bucks." There is not a lot of suspense, but there is a lot of wondering. The book doesn't keep you guessing, rather it kind of hints at what's coming next. But, the unexpected does pop up. For example, when Sam's dad is introduced in the story, one simply assumes that he just leaves and never comes back. The shocking thing is that Sam's dad dies! He leaves without saying goodbye (which was expected, him being described as a deadbeat dad), and a few months later Sam got an article that said his father was crushed by a trailer and died. It is really sad to read, and the worst part is that Sam is completely blindsided. Sam isn't the only one. I totally didn't expect it, and it really shocked me. I can't wait to read the ending of this book, and to see how the boys develop emotionally and fiscally.